Pro stager Francesca Grace has a winning formula for prepping a home to sell. “We stage five houses a week, and they don’t sit on the market,” she says. Part of her job is psychological. “When you walk in and you see family photos or you see something that relates to the person that lives in that house, it automatically tells your mind as the potential buyer that this is not your home,” she explains. Which is why one of Grace’s first steps is removing personal mementos. “The key is creating the ability for someone else to imagine themselves living in the space,” Grace reveals. In fact, for many of her projects, she empties the house completely, starting from scratch. And if she’s only partially furnishing a space, Grace makes sure to keep what adds character and removes anything that feels dated. “You want it to feel current, but you also want it to feel warm and cozy and inviting.”
But what if you’re not designing to sell? Even if there’s no for-sale sign in your future, you’d be wise to listen to Grace’s hardwon advice on space planning. Read on for her top pet peeves—and what to do instead.
1. Don’t corner off a room.
Creating the illusion of an open airy space is important to making it feel inviting—whether to potential buyers or to you at the end of a long day. “I hate walking into the back of the sofa,” Grace admits. “So I always create an open layout when I’m staging so that nothing feels like it’s blocking your walkway.”
2. Don’t push one side of a bed against a wall.
“When the bed is tight against the wall, everything feels smaller,” says Grace. So, what does she recommend? If you can clear a path on both sides of the bed, do it. “Having a room with a one night stand is just so off to me. So, I will either do two nightstands, obviously, or if you are in such a tight space, then I would do one tiny little cocktail table and a nightstand that matches the texture or color of that cocktail table on the other side. But you want to make sure that you have the same height on both sides of the bed so it doesn’t feel off balance.”
3. Don’t skimp on the pillows.
While she’s noticed that people don’t use decorative pillows in their bedrooms as much anymore, Grace says she has a 3-2-1 rule. “I like to have three euros, two standard pillows, and one decorative middle pillow,” she explains. “It’s a great place to create more of an artistic moment, using floral pillows or velvets in rich tones.”
4. Don’t buy a rug that’s too small.
A too-small rug automatically creates a smaller room, says Grace. “You’re trying to create a bigger space or something that feels like it fills the space properly. So if you have a 14-by-14 foot room, don’t put a seven-by-nine foot rug in there. You want two feet of clearance on each side. It’s nice to have a border of the floor.”
5. Don’t default to a rectangular dining table.
“You have to make sure that the table is the right shape for the room,” says Grace. “So if a room is square and small, you’re going to want to do a round table to create that flow around the table and make it feel open. If you put a big rectangular table in a square room, you’ve narrowed yourself down to like a very tight walk space on two sides of the room.”
6. Don’t forget to consider architectural details when hanging art.
“One thing I’ve been seeing that is trending a lot: People are putting really small art on walls that maybe call for a bigger piece. And I think there’s a time and place for it. It depends what kind of house you’re in. More historical homes or Spanish homes call for smaller pieces of art, because there’s so many beautiful elements already in the structure of the home, like archways and moldings, and you don’t want to take away from those details. But in a more modern home, I think that’s space that calls for bigger art. Maybe it feels empty and a little cold. So art in those spaces is going to be key to creating warmth.”
7. Don’t be afraid to use color on the walls.
“When I see all white walls, I immediately ask the agent if they’re open to changing them because that trend is really dying,” says Grace. “White walls just call for so much, because you’re trying to fill something that’s not there.” What colors does she recommend? Try earth tones, like a soft green or deep maroon.
